Daugherty, Others Staying With ESPN After 2014 NASCAR Season Ends

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN and NASCAR are parting ways at the end of the 2014 season. Despite this change, there’s good news for audiences and ESPN’s NASCAR broadcast team. ESPN announced this week that analyst and team owner Brad Daugherty will remain with the worldwide leader in sports.

ESPN announced this week that Daugherty will join ESPN’s basketball broadcast team beginning Monday, December 1^st. Daugherty is a former five-time NBA All-Star and college basketball standout. He will serve as an analyst on ESPN’s NBA Tonight, NBA Coast to Coast, and SportsCenter regularly. He will also make appearances on ESPNU’s ACC Sunday Night package along with other other programming across the ESPN family of networks.

Before joining ESPN’s NASCAR broadcasts, Daugherty served as a reporter for ESPN and ABC’s college basketball from 1999 – 2001. Prior to joining ESPN’s ranks, he also served as a game analyst for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs local broadcasts. His playing career included eight seasons as a member of the Cavaliers after being selected in the first round of the NBA Draft in 1986. He averaged 19 points and 9.5 rebounds per game during his career. His love for NASCAR showed throughout his career as he wore the number 43 in honor of “The King” Richard Petty. The Cavs retired his number in 1997.

Daugherty is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill at the age of 16 and graduated from the university in 1986. He was named an All-ACC player twice during his college career and a first-team All-American in his senior year at the university. He averaged 20.2 points and 9 rebounds per game during his senior year at UNC.

Daugherty’s is not the only move that ESPN has announced in regards to the network’s NASCAR broadcast team. Veteran racer and long-time ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven recently signed a new deal with ESPN that will see him remain with the network as a NASCAR analyst for SportsCenter and other ESPN news platforms. Nicole Briscoe, it was announced last month, will serve as an anchor on SportsCenter and will also take on additional assignments. And reporter Marty Smith will stay on board with ESPN, too. He will remain with ESPN as a Bureau Reporter for ESPN. Allen Bestwick, who has led ESPN’s NASCAR coverage each week, will remain with the network, too. He will stay on to call ESPN’s IndyCar races and to cover tennis and golf coverage. He will also anchor some programming on ESPN’s new SEC Network.

More information on ESPN’s on-air staff and all of the latest sports headlines from ESPN is available online at:

Website: http://espn.go.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPN

Twitter: http://twitter.com/espn

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

NNS Heads North For Sta-Green 200 This Weekend

Courtesy: NASCAR/ESPN/ESPN2/ABC

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular and Hendrick Motorsports driver Kasey Khane ruined the party for the Nationwide regulars last weekend at Daytona when he won the Firecracker 250 presented by Coca-Cola. Nationwide Series regular and JR Motorsports driver Regan Smith reclaimed the NNS points lead thanks to a second place finish in the race. Elliot Sadler and Chase Elliot both had a rough weekend in Daytona, dropping each one position in the standings. This week, Sadler and Elliot look to rebound whil Smith looks to keep his lead as the NASCAR Nationwide Series comes to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Sta-Green 200.

The 200-lap race will be broadcast live on ESPN2 beginning with NASCAR Countdown at 3pm ET. The green flag is expected to fly at 3:46pm ET. Nicole Briscoe will anchor NASCAR Countdown. She will be joined at the desk by Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty. Allen Bestwick will have the call from the booth. He will be joined by ESPN analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree.

More information on this weekend’s race and all of ESPN’s NASCAR coverage is available online at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Championship Battle Still Very Tight As NNS Heads West Again For Week Five

Courtesy: NASCAR/ESPN/ESPN2/ABC

The NASCAR Nationwide Series heads back out west this weekend for week five of the series’ schedule.

JR Motorsports driver Regan Smith will look to make a dent in his current single-point lead over Roush Racing driver Trevor Bayne this Saturday when the NNS takes to the track for the Treatmycot.com 300 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.  Saturday’s telecast begins at 4:30pm ET on ESPN with ESPN’s NASCAR Countdown pre-race show.  The green flag is expected to drop at 5:17pm ET.

Allen Bestwick will call the race.  He will be joined in the booth by former NASCAR crew chief Andy Petree.  Rusty Wallace will sit in for former Winston Cup Champion and fellow ESPN analyst Dale Jarrett this week.  Nicole Briscoe will host NASCAR Countdown.  She will be joined by ESPN analysts Ricky Craven and Brad Daugherty.

More information on ESPN’s coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series is available online at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.